This Michigan BLUE summer issue offers a wide-ranging assortment of those things unique to the state and invites readers to participate in 60 unique summer-day activities.
The midsummer night sky is a canvas of inky blue, filled with bright stars and the whitest moon — invoking a natural inclination to gaze upon it from a horizontal position.
A fleet of no fewer than 20 tall ships will cruise into Bay City en masse and sail to various ports on each of the Great Lakes in July. Columnist Howard Meyerson takes readers cruising for the 2016 classic and antique boat shows positioned in harbors to the north, south, east and west. It’s also a tour of Michigan craftsmanship with no equal.
Meyerson also directs readers to enjoy Michigan’s newest “dark sky” preserves, far from any community lights that might hamper a view of the night sky, whether on a summer night or a crisp winter day. The midsummer night sky is a canvas of inky blue, filled with bright stars and the whitest moon — invoking a natural inclination to gaze upon it from a horizontal position.
Meyerson also authored a photo essay that celebrates Michigan’s national parks. Michigan is home to seven of them, including two National Lakeshore Parks: Pictured Rocks and Sleeping Bear Dunes.
“Each is a destination of majesty and wonder — a legacy preserved for future generations,” he writes.
The photo essay is Michigan BLUE’s recognition of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, created to preserve U.S. wilderness areas in their natural beauty and protect them.
Petoskey residents are ramping up to celebrate Ernest Hemingway’s 117th birthday. The beloved author was a babe in arms when his parents first brought him to the northern town from their home in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway often traveled from wherever he was around the world to write on the shores of Walloon Lake, which also offered a tranquil place to heal from life’s misadventures.
Michigan BLUE also pays tribute here to another celebrated author and native, Jim Harrison, who died in March. The Michigan State University graduate wrote 21 volumes of fiction including “Legends of the Fall,” three novellas, 14 books of poetry, two books of essays, a memoir and a children’s book.
Harrison was frequently referred to as “a force of nature” and was sometimes compared to Hemingway. In a 1998 interview with sister publication Grand Rapids Magazine, Harrison said, “(The comparison with Hemingway) doesn’t exist. You know what it is? It’s just a convenience.” Harrison’s papers are housed at Grand Valley State University.
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